Living Legacy Program
Background
The American Civil War, the most defining moment in our American history, will be commemorated from 2011 through 2015. The Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area holds the largest concentration of Civil War battlefield sites in the country, and also the homes of our Founding Fathers who first conceived and wrote into our American Ideals “All Men are created equal”.
Within The Journey Through Hallowed Ground (JTHG) National Heritage Area is the beginning (Harpers Ferry and Manassas), the middle (Antietam and Gettysburg) and the end, (Appomattox) of the Civil War. The Route 15/20 Corridor which crosses the Mason Dixon Line travels from Monticello to Gettysburg and serves as a link to each of the battlefields and connects over 30 historic communities, each of which was gravely impacted by the Civil War. In advance of the Sesquicentennial each community is being asked to create a legacy project. In lieu of creating individual monuments the communities within the JTHG National Heritage Area are working collectively to create a legacy project of National Significance.
The Plan
The JTHG Partnership seeks to commemorate the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War with a legacy project of National Significance. During the Civil War 620,000 American Soldiers died, many fought on the battlefields within the JTHG National Heritage Area. As a living commemoration for their individual and combined sacrifices, we seek to create a “Living Legacy” project: An eloquent and simple plan. We wish to plant one tree for each citizen who sacrificed their life to create this union. The plan is to plant a tree, at a set pace along the 180 mile Rt. 15/20 corridor, from Monticello to Gettysburg. The intention is to create a living legacy, a constant reminder to every citizen of the sacrifices made to inspire the uneducated with the sheer beauty of the esplanade of the foliage. In fifty years times, during the bi-centennial of the Civil War this will be considered the finest example of homage in our country. We believe this is the time to create and implement a living legacy for those who gave “the last full measure” to define our Union.
This project further lends itself to a national service learning program as we invite students from around the country to research the fallen from their community, learn their stories and dedicate a tree in their honor.
